Order Description

SJ is a 28-week gestational age white male weighing 1.2 kg born to a 36 year-old G4P2103 woman. Pregnancy was complicated by pregnancy induced hypertension and gestational diabetes. SJ’s mother presented to the emergency room 1 hour after rupture of membranes. SJ was born 2 hours later and was immediately transferred to the NICU. SJ was in obvious respiratory distress so he was intubated and given surfactant (Curosurf). An umbilical artery catheter (UAC) and umbilical venous catheter (UVC) were placed with 3.2% Trophamine solution and Vanilla TPN ordered for the two lines respectively. A loading dose of intravenous caffeine citrate was ordered with maintenance doses starting 24 hours after the loading dose.

Please answer all questions in your own words. Do not copy and paste information from resources.

1. How many milliliters of Curosurf should be ordered for SJ’s initial dose?

2. How is Curosurf administered?

3. Explain to SJ’s parents why you gave him Curosurf and how it works.

4. How much caffeine citrate should be ordered for the loading dose?

5. How much caffeine citrate should be ordered for maintenance doses?

6. Why is caffeine administered to premature infants?

Required textbook.
Brunton, L.B. (Ed). (2011). Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (12th edition). McGraw Hills Access Medicine (electronic copy at HSL).
Readings: Chapter 36, 42